Amateur radio call signs in Africa are codes used to identify all radio communications, broadcasts and transmissions. The International Telecommunication Union assigns Africa as ITU region #1. It has assigned call signs prefix blocks to countries including 77 DXCC entities in and off-shore of Africa. Western Sahara is not a DXCC entity but uses SØ as a prefix.
Amateur radio or ham radio is practised by operators holding nationally allocated call signs in African countries or foreign administered territories and other nations or DXCC entities. Call sign allocation from the International Telegraph Union is administered by national political authorities and international mandates.
Call sign blocks
The following call sign blocks are used for all radio communication, broadcasting or transmission:International Telecommunication Union country call sign assignments
CQ Zone 33/northwest Africa, European territories Call sign block DXCC EntityApprox. # call signsCall sign divisions listed by prefix Hamcall.net3V, TS Tunisia537R, 7T–7Y Algeria94CN, 5C–5G Morocco453CQ3, CQ9, CR3, CR9, CS3, CS9, CT3, CT9 Madeira Is. (Portugal)408AM8, AN8, AO8, EA8–EH8 Canary Is. (Spain)3,693AM9, AN9, AO9, EA9, EB9. EC9, ED9. EE9, EF9, EG9, EH9 Ceuta (Spain)771AM9, AN9, AO9, EC9, ED9 Melilla (Spain)incl. in CeutaIG9 & IH9 Pelagie, Pantelleria (Italy)??SØ Western Sahara32
In Morocco CN8 is for residents, CNØ is for visitors. SØ for Western Sahara is an unofficial prefix, not issued by the ITU.
CQ Zone 34/northeast Africa Call sign block DXCC Entity Approx. # call signs5A Libya22SSN-STZ, 6TA–6UZ Sudan46Z8 South Sudan??SSA–SSN, SU, 6AA–6BZ Egypt113
Sudan further subdivides its call signs thus (with possible changes due to the 2011 independence of South Sudan): ST2 Khartoum and its region, ST3 Wad Madani, central region, ST4 Al Ubayyid, Kurdufan region, ST5 Kassala, eastern region, ST6 Port Sudan, northeast region, ST7 Ad'Damir, northwest region, ST8 Al'Fashir, Darfour region, and ST9 Malakal, central-south region; Wau, Bahr-al-Ghazal region.
CQ Zone 35/west coast (northern) central Africa Call sign block DXCC Entity Approx. # call signs3X Guinea465N–5O Nigeria1525T Mauritania15U Niger385V Togo496V–6W Senegal1379G Ghana1219L Sierra Leone62C5 The Gambia2D4 Cape Verde26EL, 5L–5M, 6Z, A8, D5 Liberia127J5 Guinea-Bissau45TU Côte d'Ivoire108TY Benin46TZ Mali52XT Burkina Faso59
Nigeria further subdivides its prefixes thus: 5N1 = OGUN, OYO, ONDO; 5N2 = KWARA, KOGI, NIGER, OSUN; 5N3 = EDO, DELTA, ANAMBRA; 5N4 = ENUGU, RIVERS, ABIA; 5N5 = CROSS RIVERS, AKWA-IBOM, IMO, BENUE; 5N6 = PLATEAU, TARABA, BAUCHI; 5N7 = ADAMAWA, YOBE, BORNO; 5N8 = KANO, JIGAWA; 5N9 = KADUNA, SOKOTO, KEBBI, KATSINA; and 5NØ = LAGOS STATE AND ABUJA, F.C.T.
Senegal further subdivides its prefixes thus: 6W1 Dakar, 6W2 Ziguinchor, 6W3 Diourbei, 6W4 St. Louis 6W5 Tambacounda, 6W6 Kaolack, 6W7 Thies, 6W8 Louga, 6W9 Fatick and 6WØ Kolda.
Liberia further subdivides its prefixes thus: EL1 Grand Bassa, River Cess, EL2 Montserrado, Bomi, Margibi, EL3 Sinoe, EL4 Maryland, Grand Kru, EL5 Lofa, EL6 Grand Gedeh, EL7 Bong, EL8 Nimba, EL9 Grand Cape Mount, and ELØ for Novices and Club Stations
CQ Zone 36/west coast (southern) central Africa Call sign block DXCC Entity Approx. # call signs3C Equatorial Guinea293CØ Annobon Is. (Equatorial Guinea)99I–9J Zambia899O–9T Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire)629U Burundi189X Rwanda32D2–D3 Angola42S9 São Tomé and Príncipe50TJ Cameroon39TL Central Africa Republic45TN Republic of Congo27TR Gabon90TT Chad62ZD7 St. Helena (UK)49ZD8 Ascension Is. (UK)52
Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire) further subdivides its call signs thus: 9Q1 – Kinshasa, 9Q2 – Bas Congo, 9Q3 – Bandundu, 9Q4 – Equateur, 9Q5 – Province orientale, 9Q6 – North Kivu, South Kivu, Maniema, 9Q7– Katanga, 9Q8 – Oriental Kasai, 9Q9 – Occidental Kasai, and 9QØ – Reserved
CQ Zone 37/east coast mainland Africa Call sign block DXCC Entity Approx. # call signs5H–5I Tanzania1995X Uganda565Y–5Z Kenya1457O Socotra (Yemen)??7Q Malawi95C8–C9 Mozambique98E3 Eritrea15ET, 9E–9F Ethiopia39J2 Djibouti82T5, 6OA–6OZ Somalia39
For Eritrea only contacts made November 14, 1962, and before, or May 24, 1991, and after, count for this entity.
Tanzania further subdivides its prefix thus: 5H1 – Zanzibar and Pemba Islands, 5H2 – Arysha, Kilimanjaro, Tanga, 5H3 – Pwani, Dar es Salaam (including Mafia Island), 5H4 – Morogoro, 5H5 – Lindi, Mtwara, Ruvuma, 5H6 – Iringa, 5H7 – Mbeya, 5H8 – Kigoma, Rukwa, Tabora, 5H9 – Ziwa Magharibi, Mwanza, Mara, Shinyanga (including Ukerewe Islands), and 5HØ – Dodoma, Singida.
Somalia further subdivides its call signs according to the province of issue: 6OØ indicates the license was issued in Puntland, Northern Somalia, and; 6O1 is issued in Southern Somalia.
CQ Zone 38/southern Africa Call sign block DXCC Entity Approx. # call signs3DA0 Eswatini (formerly Swaziland till 2018)1013Y Bouvet (Norway)127P Lesotho98A2, 8O Botswana100V50–V59 Namibia170Z2 Zimbabwe121ZD9 Tristan da Cunha & Gough Is. (UK)15ZR–ZU, South Africa9,696ZS8 Prince Edward & Marion Is. (South Africa)7
South Africa South Africa further divides its call signs thus: ZS1 Western Cape Province ZS2 Eastern Cape Province ZS3 Northern Cape Province ZS4 Free State Province ZS5 Kwazulu-Natal Province ZS6 Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Northwest and Limpopo provinces ZS7 Antarctica ZS8 Prince Edward & Marion Islands ZU Designates an entry-level licence ZR Used to designate a restricted licence but has been merged into the unrestricted class together with ZS and follows the same region numbers as above ZT Very rarely used only for contest stations ZSLnnn call sign is allocated to 'Shortwave Listeners'.SARL.org ZS Zones
CQ Zone 39/Africa off-shore, Indian Ocean Call sign block DXCC Entity Approx. # call signs3B6,7 Agalega & St. Brandon Is. (Mauritius)143B8 Mauritius1233B9 Rodrigues Is. (Mauritius)155R–5S, 6X Madagascar93D6 Comoros25FH Mayotte (France)51FR/G Glorioso Is. (France)??FR/J,E Juan de Nova, Europa (France)??FR Reunion Is. (France)237FR/T Tromelin Is. (France)??FT5W Crozet Is. (France)??FT5X Kerguelen Is. (France)??FT5Z Amsterdam & St. Paul Is. (France)??S7 Seychelles86VKØ Heard Is. (Australia)35VQ9 Chagos Is. (UK)80
History of call sign allocation
The call sign allocation history of mainland Africa and off-shore islands is complex and related to the colonial status of European powers in the early-20th century period. Call signs changed in relation to various independence movements, particularly following World War II and in the 1960s.
International Radiotelegraph Conferences The conference held in 1927 assigned call prefixes to Morocco (CNA–CNZ), Egypt (SUA–SUZ), Republic of Liberia (ELA–ELZ), Ethiopia (ETA–ETZ), and the Union of South Africa (ZSA–ZUZ). These, however, did not necessarily include amateur radio operation. African areas administered politically by colonizing countries (i.e. Great Britain, Portugal, France, etc.) adopted call signs issued to those countries for colonial purposes.
The 1947 Atlantic City ITU Conference reallocated call sign blocks to African countries and European colonies according to this table.International Telecommunication Convention Atlantic City 1947
1947 Call sign block 1947 Country or Colonial powerCNA–CNZ MoroccoCQA–CRZ Portuguese coloniesDNA–DQZ Belgian CongoELA–ELZ Republic of LiberiaETA–ETZ EthiopiaFAA–FZZ France and its coloniesHWA–HYZ France and its coloniesIAA–IZZ Italy and its coloniesSSA–SUZ EgyptTHA–THZ France and its coloniesVPA–VSZ British ColoniesXXA–XXZ Portuguese coloniesZBA–ZJZ British ColoniesZQA–ZQZ British ColoniesZRA–ZUZ Union of South Africa3VA–3VZ France and its colonies
See also Amateur radio international operation Amateur radio license Call signs ITU prefix – amateur and experimental stations
References